A Buttercup Squash...for something orange.

The lovely buttercup

 




















I know that this little beauty looks green, but it has a beautiful meaty orange flesh. It's both delicious and good for you; if anything tastes of vitamins, it's this. Fall harvest squashes have a very different flavour and texture than the late summer squashes like zucchini….as in, they have a texture and flavour. Who can resist the names of these squashes……buttercup, butternut, hubbard and acorn? They're very easy to bake in the oven. I would not recommend peeling and cubing and cooking in water on the stove unless you are making squash soup, (which is also delicious by the way).

Ingredients for Baked Squash:

• 1 smallish squash
• 2-3 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or maple syrup
• salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to around 375º. Place your squash on a baking tin in the oven. It will likely take at least an hour to bake and perhaps longer depending on the size of the squash. You will know that it is done cooking when the end of a sharp knife can be placed easily into the thickest part of the squash. Remove squash from the oven and let cool slightly before cutting in half to remove the seeds with a large spoon. After the seeds and stringy bits have been spooned out of the cavity and discarded, start removing the cooked flesh from the skin of the squash and place in an oven proof serving bowl. Mash the squash as you would mash potatoes, and then add the butter, salt and pepper and brown sugar/ maple syrup to taste. This can be eaten immediately or refrigerated overnight, or covered in tinfoil, frozen and re-heated.

Very versatile is the squash.